Division 3 Journal: Williams remains unbeaten at break

It was one of
those early-season December games that felt like so much
more.

To close out the
first semester portion of
their respective schedules, a couple of Division 3’s
stingiest teams — Williams and Amherst –
met at Amherst’s
Orr Rink on Dec. 7.

Both teams brought in defenses ranked among the
nation’s best and both brought in hot goalies, junior veteran
Sean Dougherty for Williams and sophomore Dave Cunningham
(Arlington, Mass.), the former
Belmont Hill star who’d grabbed the Lord Jeffs’ starting
job at the beginning of the season and run with it.

Despite chances
— especially for the Ephs, who went on the game’s first
four power plays — the game remained scoreless headed to the
third period.

“The way it
was going, 0-0 after two (periods), whoever got the first one could
win it,” said Williams coach Bill Kangas (South Burlington, Vt.). “Two good rivals going at
it.”

Ultimately, it was
the Ephs who got it, with sophomore defenseman Greg Johnson keeping
a puck in at the blue line and firing a shot on net that senior
forward Matt Doyle got his stick on for the redirected
goal a little more than two
minutes into the final frame.

The 1-0 win not
only sent Williams into its holiday break with a little
extra wind at its back, it also
preserved its status as one of
just three remaining unbeaten teams in Division
3: Adrian (10-0-1)
and Plattsburgh (9-0-2) are the
others.

“It was nice
to finish the way we did,” said Kangas. “We’re
still a young team. We have nine freshmen we’re breaking into
the lineup. … It’s always nice to go into the break
with a 5-0-2 record.”

It sets up what
should be a fun second semester in the NESCAC, where Amherst and
Williams have been regular contenders in recent years. But not everything has gone according to
plan.

Trinity again
looks like a top-tier team. Middlebury has kept punching against a tough
schedule. Colby looks
much-improved in the second year of the Blaise MacDonald
(Billerica, Mass.) regime, tying
Williams, 1-1, on opening night and winning at Bowdoin later that
month. Last-placeConn.College also owns
a win over Bowdoin, the preseason favorite.

“From top to
bottom, you can’t predict from night to night who’s
going to win,” said Kangas. “That’s what great
about the league.”

But only one team
made it through the semester unbeaten and that’s Williams. On
a team that’s allowed just nine goals in seven games, thanks
to Dougherty (1.26 goals-against average, .955 save percentage) and
the defense in front of him, junior Craig Kitto (5-5-10) is the
leading scorer.

Some new faces.
But the same old commitment to keeping the puck out of the
net.

“I thought
our returners did an unbelievable job of making the freshmen feel
they were part of it since Day 1,” said
Kangas. “It was seamless, really.”

Player of
the Week

Frankie
DeAugustine, soph., F, UMass-Boston

DeAugustine scored
four goals as the Beacons closed out their semester by ripping
Wentworth on Friday, 9-2.

Game of
the Week

No games scheduled
this week

NEHJ
Division 3 Power Rankings

1. Williams
(5-0-2, 4-0-2 NESCAC)

Only three teams
are allowing fewer goals than the Ephs, who check in it 1.29 a
game.

2. Norwich (7-1-2,
6-0-1 ECAC East)

Shane
Gorman (13) and Travis Janke
(12) are among the national leaders in helpers.

3. Babson (9-2,
5-1 ECAC East)

Senior Nik
Tasiopoulos (Norwell, Mass.) leads the
Beavers with six goals, with four of them coming on the power
play.

4. Amherst (6-2, 5-1
NESCAC)Coach Jack Arena said he needed his
sophomores to step up this year. They have.

5. UMass-Boston
(6-1-2, 3-1-2 ECAC East)

Everyone got in on
the scoring act against Wentworth, with
fourth-liners Mark
Grinhaus, Connor McStravick and Mike
Kuhn (Holbrook, Mass.) each notching a
goal.

6. Trinity (6-2,
3-1 NESCAC)Bantams are winning without a
single senior in their regular lineup, save for goalie Ben
Coulthard (South
Windsor, Conn.)

7. Nichols
(7-1-2, 3-1-1 ECAC
Northeast)Last year’s Rookie of the Year in the league, Tyler
Beasley, leads the Bison in scoring
at 6-10-16.

8. Bowdoin (5-3-1,
2-3-1 NESCAC)Senior Colin Downey of East
Sandwich, Mass. is among the points leaders in Division 3 with
6-10-16 totals, and needs four more for the career century
mark.

9. Johnson
& Wales (9-3, 3-2-0 ECAC Northeast)Goalie Joe Ballmer stopped 54 of 56
shots as the Wildcats swept a non-league series
with BuffaloState, both games by
2-1 scores.

10. Framingham
State (6-3-1, 4-1-1 MASCAC)Alaska native Ryan McDonald’s
goal late in the second period stood up as the game-winner in 2-1
non-conference win at Assumption last week.